I Will Walk With You
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: Tess, Monica, Gloria, and Andrew's newest assignment is to make four people with troubled pasts and hurt hearts come together as one family. Will these angels succeed in showing them the light, or will they be too late? GR/TBAA Crossover.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, that's it! I've had this in mind for awhile now and I'm finally gonna type it. I might not have ever mentioned this but I am a HUGE fan of Touched By An Angel. It's one of my favorite TV shows. It's not listed in my pairings list on my profile for...well...obvious reasons. But you know how I've mentioned in the past that Six should adopt Rex? I've been waiting for the right opportunity to write a good wholesome family fluff story involving that plus some Holix. I figure that a TBAA crossover would be the perfect scenario for this! We start the story with our four favorite angels preparing for their next assignment. Now, this story is gonna be different in style from my other stories. This is my first time writing a fanfic for Touched By An Angel, which is a special series that requires much more depth, faith, and emotion and I intend to do it justice. Enjoy!**

_When you walk down the road,_

_Heavy burden, heavy load..._

_I will rise, and I will walk with you_

_I will walk with you_

_Till the sun don't even shine_

_Walk with you_

_Every time, I tell you I'll walk with you_

_Walk with you..._

_Believe me, I'll walk with you._

A dove flew across the clear crystal blue sky. It cooed softly as it circled a tall white building and flew off into the distance. Watching its progress was a tall woman in a dress that was so white, it made the imposing building look like dirty snow. She wore no shoes as she walked across the barren ground, a frown playing across her beautiful face. She brushed some fiery locks from her cheek as a dry breeze swept by. "Such a lonely place..." She muttered softly to her companions.

"Yes, it is..." The eldest member of the four replied, casting a disproving look at her friend's bare feet. She had dark skin, white hair, and an aged face. She was adjusting a white nurse's uniform."I hope you intend to put some shoes on before we go in." Her dark eyes, full of wisdom and knowledge beyond imagining, were glinting darkly, as if she was secretly dreading entering the building in question. "And get your uniform on! A place like this would probably put itself on lockdown if someone saw a fly buzzing around."

"Well, with that incident five years ago, I wouldn't blame them." The only male in the group spoke up. He had short brown hair, kind brown eyes, and a very gentle face. Unlike the others, he was wearing a white suit and tie.

"What exactly is the assignment here?" The fourth member of the group asked. She had long dark hair and was wearing black rimmed glasses over her bright, inquisitive eyes. "I thought that a special branch of angels were used to try and help people in high security government agencies like these."

"Look, baby. All you need to know is that we're three new nurses in this place and that Andrew is to go play some basketball in town. I'll explain the rest as time goes on. Now Monica." She turned toward the red haired woman, who had somehow changed from her dress into a full nurse's attire. "That's better. We'd better check in. Oh! And, Gloria..." She turned toward the dark haired girl. "Remember what I told you...let us do the talking. Okay?"

Gloria nodded. "Okay, Tess!"

"Well, I'd better get going.." Andrew waved a hand and walked off. In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

"Come on. Let's get this over with..." Tess sighed, walking toward the building.

…...

"Why do we need nurses? You do a fine job on your own, Doc!" Rex was telling Doctor Holiday as she told him what Six had told her that morning.

"I don't know, Rex. I guess White thinks I need some extra help with you." Holixay shrugged her shoulders. "Open." Rex obediently opened his mouth so she could stick a thermometer in. "Whatever the reason, they're going to be working with us. I want you on your best behavior."

"Wah aff ah eher en oherisuh?" Rex asked through the thermometer. Holiday took it out and started reading his temperature. "When have I ever been otherwise?" He grinned his best angelic **(Har har!)** grin. Holiday just rolled her eyes and said nothing.

Knock, knock, knock.

"I guess that's them. Strange...I would've thought that White's briefing would take longer." Holiday went over to the door and opened it. "Hello." She smiled politely at the three ladies outside the door.

"Hi there! My name is Tess." Tess smiled and held out her hand to Holiday. 'Poor thing...' She thought to herself, noting the circles under the young woman's eyes. 'Hasn't slept in weeks...'

"I'm Monica. Lovely to meet you!" Monica said brightly, shaking Holiday's hand after Tess.

"Hello. Nice to meet you too." Holiday was slightly thrown off by the ladies' friendliness. Most people hired by Providence were secretive and hardly said more than two words at a time, like Six. She looked over at the younger dark haired lady who stared mutely back. "Hi." She ventured. "I'm Doctor Sandra Holiday." She held out her hand. The lady took her hand but still didn't speak.

Tess rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You're allowed to introduce yourself!"

"Okay!" Gloria smiled. "My name is Gloria!" She chirped cheerfully, oblivious to Holiday's confused expression.

Rex, who had been hanging back behind Holiday, stepped forward and held out his hand. "Hey! I'm Rex!"

"Oh! I love that jacket!" Gloria commented, shaking Rex's hand. "Where did you get it?"

"Six gave it to me." Rex smiled. He liked this one so far...

"Six?"

"Oh! You'll see. He-"

"Ahem."

Gloria and Monica jumped in surprise as someone behind them cleared his throat. Tess just glanced over her shoulder calmly at the tall man that stood behind them. He wore a dark pine green suit, had short black hair, and wore shades that hid his eyes.

"Excuse me." Six said shortly to the three ladies in the doorway. 'Why did White hire nurses? As if this area wasn't crowded enough as it is...' They moved and he brushed past them. He glanced at Rex and Holiday as he approached his desk, set his coffee down, and began to look at his paperwork.

'Always the social one...' "Six, this is Tess, Monica, and Gloria." Holiday indicated each of the nurses in turn.

Six glanced up and nodded curtly before turning back to his paperwork.

Monica noticed the steaming mug that sat next to Six. 'Thank goodness they serve coffee here!' She decided to take a stab at conversation. "Exactly what blend of coffee is that?"

"Espresso." Six muttered before glancing toward Monica. "So, I assume White briefed you on the procedure here?"

"Briefed?" Gloria tilted her head curiously. "Tess I thought that we'd get briefed on our mi-"

"Of course, Gloria!" Tess quickly cut in. "We were just on our way to briefing! Right, Monica?" She gave Monica a strained, pointed smile.

"Right! Absolutely!" Monica nodded vigorously. "We just wanted to drop by and say hello to our future coworkers!"

"Exactly. Well! We'd best not keep the big boss waiting!" Tess steered Gloria out of the room. Monica followed closely behind. Once they were a good distance down the hallway, she released her tight grip on Gloria's shoulder. "Now. What can you tell me about what we just saw in there?"

"They're our assignment." Monica replied instantly.

"Correct. Now tell me what you _saw_."

"Well... I saw a very kind looking doctor. She looked sad for some reason though..."

"We're here to heal part of that sadness. Other parts are out of our control, unfortunately."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll find out. What else?"

"That boy seemed friendly!" Gloria piped up.

"I agree. His eyes are so full of life." Monica smiled fondly as she thought of his excited expression.

"He may have a good heart, but it's missing something very important." Tess said gravely.

"What's his heart missing, Tess?"

"A family. This boy is considered a weapon for this organization. He's used to fight and cure people and animals that are infected with those nanites. Almost everyone here treats him as nothing more than a simple tool."

"Almost?" Monica ventured, beginning to catch on to what Tess was getting at.

"There are three people who treat Rex like a fellow human, who care for him, who can give him that missing part that he needs while filling their own hearts as well. Sandra Holiday is one of them."

"Who are the other two?" Gloria asked.

"You met one of them just now." Tess stated calmly.

"You mean...Six?" Monica blinked in surprise. "I'm curious about him. He seems so...distant."

"And why do you think that is, Ms. Wings?"

Monica paused thoughtfully before speaking. "My best guess is that he was hurt at some point in his life." She was slowly beginning to piece everything together. "So this assignment is as much about him as it is about Rex!"

"It's equally about all four of these people, angel girl." Tess corrected. "They are all in deep pain and need to realize how much they need each other very soon. They need to realize that the love that they have been missing is right in front of them."

"And that's where we come in?"

"Precisely."

"Hold on!" Gloria spoke up. "You said _four_ people are involved here. I've only seen Six, Sandra, and Rex. Who's the fourth person?"

"That's where Andrew comes in." Tess smiled. "Now, come on. We don't want to be late for briefing. I know people like this White character. They get a real attitude when people are late, and we all _know_ what happens when people try pulling an attitude on me. So, we'd best be on time for his sake."

…...

Noah threw his basketball halfheartedly at the hoop. It bounced off the rim and back into his hands. 'Bored, bored, bored, bored...' He wished that Rex or Bobo were there, but he knew that Rex would be busy all day. Something about new people in the office... He sighed and threw the ball toward the basket again. It bounced off the backboard and went over his head. When he turned around, he saw a man twirling it on one finger. The man was dressed casually in dark sweats and a white tee. He smiled and walked over.

"Hey. Mind if I join you?" Andrew stopped twirling the ball and held it out to the blonde haired boy. "I left mine at home."

"Yeah. Sure." Noah shrugged and took the basketball. Secretly, he was stunned. People usually didn't hang around him. Since he was friends with Rex, he had a reputation as an "Evo lover". Most people steered clear of him. Normally, he'd be wary of someone suddenly asking to shoot hoops with him. Today, he was so lonely, he was willing to take any company offered. "Do you play HORSE?"

"I've played it before. Why don't you go first?" Andrew watched as the boy shot the ball toward the hoop from his position, bouncing it off the backboard and through the hoop. "So, why are you all by yourself on a nice day like this...?" He paused and glanced at the boy, hoping he'd supply a name.

"Noah." Noah replied to the man's unspoken question. "Um...my friends are all...busy..." He glanced at the man as he made his shot perfectly. "What about you? I've never seen you around before. Who are you?"

"I'm Andrew." Andrew moved back a few paces and shot the ball at the hoop. It bounced off the rim and back into his hands. He tossed it to Noah. "I'm just passing through town. I'm going to be staying awhile and thought I'd check out the court. I like to stay active." He widened his eyes slightly as Noah made a backward shot with his eyes closed. "Not bad!"

"Thanks!" Noah tossed the ball to Andrew. "Weird. We don't get many visitors around here, what with Providence being right next door."

"I'm a pretty worldly person. I go pretty much everywhere." He tried to imitate Noah's backward shot and failed miserably.

Noah retrieved the ball and paused at the familiar feel of hunger going through his body. "Hey, Andrew? I gotta head home." He walked back over. "Do you have a place to spend the night? It's gonna rain."

"I'll manage." Andrew waved a hand dismissively. "Nice meeting you, Noah." He held out his hand.

"Yeah! Nice meeting you too." He shook Andrew's hand before walking off. 'Huh. Seems like a pretty nice guy. That's a real change around here...'

Andrew watched Noah go with a small smile on his face. "Well, Lord." He muttered. "I think I've found my assignment."

**This will get a whole lot better as the story progresses. Please don't flame unless you wanna burn Van Kleiss. It's 1:00 AM! Please review if you like it. Oh! And if you're wondering how I decided on Holiday's first name being Sandra, I was looking for name meanings online and Sandra literally means "defending men". How perfect is that for our fav Doc? I mean, we all know she would fight to the death for Six and Rex! I just think it's perfect. Anyway, plz review! Later!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah I know I didn't update Mending the Breach yet, but I just had to type another chapter here! Don't blame me! The stories control me, not the other way around! Anyway, those who watch TBAA know that the angels usually take the time to get to know their assignments and learn about them. Usually each angel leans a little toward one person in particular. Well, this chapter is gonna have a bit of that. Enjoy!**

Rex snickered a little as he dialed the next number on the list. "Dude! That last guy didn't know what hit him!"

Bobo nodded. "Yeah! You take the next one!" He grinned and sat back. "Put it on speaker. I wanna hear this!"

"Okay..."

"_Hello?"_ It was a man's voice.

'Perfect!' "Hey mate! Are you almost ready? I'll be by your house to pick you up in about five minutes!" Rex said, putting on an Australian accent for the heck of it.

"_Wait what?"_ The voice on the other end replied.

"Five minutes, mate! Throw a few extra shrimps on the barbie for me. I'm starving!"

"_Who is this?"_

"It's your mate, Steve!" Bobo gave him a withering, is-that-the-best-you-can-do look. "What, did you hit the sauce already mate?" Bobo had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing.

"_The sauce... Who do you think you're talking to?"_

"Crikey mate, we were supposed to wait until _after_ we picked up the sheilas before we hit the sauce. Gosh, when are you ever gonna learn? Thank goodness I'm driving!"

"_I think you've got the wrong number..."_

"Gosh you hit the sauce hard... Well, hopefully your sight is still clear, mate! We got us a couple of beauties tonight!"

"_Look pal, I don't know who you are but-"_

"Hey guys! Whatcha doing?" Gloria walked into the room and smiled at Rex and Bobo.

"Oh! Uh..." Rex quickly hung up the phone. "Nothing."

"Were you making prank phone calls?" Gloria guessed, noticing their guilty expressions.

"Uh..."

'Okay, Tess says that when they say uh like that, it's usually a yes...' "I take it you were." She smiled knowingly. The two hung their heads. 'Yes! I was right!' She walked over and sat down next to them. "What were you saying in that one?"

Rex glanced at Bobo nervously. Bobo shrugged helplessly. "Um..."

"Relax. I'm not gonna tell on you." Gloria smiled. "Actually, I'm curious about the concept of prank phone calls. I've read about them a lot. What makes them fun exactly?"

Rex looked at her carefully. 'If she was gonna punish us, she would've done it already. She seems okay... I guess there's no harm...' "Well, it's funny to freak people out with these things." He explained. "I guess their confusion is what's so funny." He paused. "Maybe it would be easier to show you. I can't really explain it." Bobo gaped at him. "Don't worry, Bobo. If she was gonna tell, she would have done it by now. We're toast anyway." Rex tossed him the phone. "You take the next one."

Bobo looked at him doubtfully before dialing another number.

"_Hello?"_

Bobo made his voice sound all deep and official. "Hello. This is the Mental Health Hotline. If you are obsessive compulsive, press one repeatedly. If you are co-dependent, ask someone to press two for you." Rex put a hand over his mouth to muffle his snickering.

"_What?"_

"If you have multiple personalities, press three, four, five, and six. If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Stay on the line and we'll trace your call."

"_Who are you?" _The voice sounded slightly freaked.

"If you are delusional, press seven and your call will be transferred to the mother ship."

Click.

Rex burst out laughing. "Nice one, Bobo!"

Gloria frowned. "Maybe I'll understand it more if I try it myself."

"Go ahead!" Bobo dialed another number and passed Gloria the phone.

Gloria put the phone to her ear. 'What do I say? I'd might as well be safe for my first time...' She didn't notice the door opening. Rex and Bobo's eyes widened and they started waving their hands desperately. "What is it?" She whispered. Rex was waving his hand over his neck and Bobo was pointing behind her. Before she could ask what was up, someone picked up the phone.

"_Hello?"_

"Hello! This is the Home Appliance Testing Service. I'm calling to ask if your refrigerator is running." Rex and Bobo both facepalmed. "What?"

"What is going on here?" Tess's sharp voice cut through the air.

Gloria looked over her shoulder and cringed as Tess gave her the famous Tess Glare. 'Yikes...' Tess took the phone from her, still giving that deadly look.

"Sorry, sir. Wrong number." She hung up the phone and grabbed Gloria's shoulder, pulling her to her feet. "I'll speak with you later." She muttered before turning to Rex and Bobo, who flinched and quickly put on shameful puppy dog faces. "Don't even try it. Office. Now." She pointed toward the door.

…...

Noah rummaged through the fridge, grinning a little to himself. 'Classic...' Some person had just called asking if his refrigerator was running. He let out a laugh. "Can't wait to tell Rex about that one!" He murmured to himself. Whoever it was was SO busted! If that woman's voice was any indicator, that girl was in deep trouble! He chuckled a little to himself before focusing on the task at hand: food. He frowned a little when he saw how little he had left. 'I'll have to cut into what's left of the money White gave me pretty soon.'

Ever since Noah had told Rex the truth about being originally hired to be his friend, the money from Providence had just stopped coming. Thankfully, the house still hadn't been foreclosed and no policemen had come knocking at his door demanding why he didn't have any parents and why he wasn't in school. Either White was still sympathetic to Noah's situation, or the payments he put forth were annual. If that was the case, as Noah strongly suspected it was, he'd be homeless by the time the New Year came around! He knew he had done the right thing. Still...it would be nice to be eating something besides bologna.

Breathing a sigh, Noah pulled out his dwindling package of bologna and the near-empty carton of orange juice. "Bon appetite!" He muttered glumly to himself before shoving a slice of bologna into his mouth. He shuddered at the greasy taste and quickly chugged some of the orange juice. He shuddered again, more violently. 'Ugh..._not_ a good combo!'

Knock, knock, knock.

Noah looked up. 'Hmph. Maybe the police finally caught on.' Grimacing a little at the combined taste of orange juice and bologna, he went to answer the door. He blinked in surprise when he saw who it was. "Andrew?"

"Hey, Noah!" Andrew smiled. His hair and clothes were soaked. "Mind if I come in?"

Noah, still gaping in surprise, stepped aside to let Andrew in.

"Well, this is a strange coincidence, isn't it? I didn't think that you were the same person that Providence told me about. Your last name _is_ Rylander, right?"

"Y-Yeah... What are you doing here?"

"Oh, right! How rude of me." Andrew reached into his pocket and pulled out a damp document. "Providence decided that someone should be keeping an eye on you."

Noah looked at the paper. 'Yep, that's White's signature.' "I thought Providence was stopping its services to me."

"Not quite." Andrew replied quickly. "You...are being relocated to a...better location. They want me to be here during the...process." He improvised.

"Better location? What does that mean? Where am I going? What's the process?" Noah asked, feeling himself panicking. Would he be moved away from Rex? 'No...they wouldn't... Too big of a risk to Rex's nanites...' He reminded himself.

"Eh...that's classified." Andrew said. Noah looked disappointed but didn't press the matter. 'Whew. Thank the Lord for that magic phrase...'

"Well, come on in. Just a warning, I can't really offer you much in the way of food."

Andrew smiled. "I figured, so I took the liberty of ordering some dinner." At that moment, there was another knock on the door. "Speaking of which..." Andrew turned back toward the door and opened it. "Hello!"

"Hi. Raphael's Pizzas." A familiar face smiled at Andrew. "Three large pizzas. One cheese, one pepperoni, one pineapple."

"Thank you very much." Andrew smiled and took the pizzas before closing the door. "That was good timing, don't you think?" He walked over to the dining room table and put the pizzas down.

Noah didn't bother wondering how Andrew knew he didn't have much food. He didn't bother wondering how Andrew knew that pineapple was his favorite. He didn't even bother to give the document a second glance. He just pulled up a chair and started to eat like he had never tasted food in his life. After a few minutes, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve and smiled gratefully at Andrew. "Thanks! You have no idea how good it feels to be eating something besides bologna!"

Andrew, who was calmly munching on a bit of cheese pizza, smiled and nodded. "I can imagine." He reached over toward the table and grabbed a bottle of root beer. "Thirsty?"

"Whoa! Where did that come from?" Noah asked. He was sure it hadn't been there before...

"It came with the pizza." Andrew poured some soda into a cup and handed it to Noah. "Drink up."

"Sweet!" Noah quickly stopped wondering where the root beer had come from as he started to drink.

The two sat in companionable silence, eating pizza and drinking root beer. 'Such a sweet kid...' Andrew thought to himself. 'But he has so many troubles that he doesn't deserve...'

…...

Six sighed and took another sip of his coffee. Prank phone calls... Right when he thought that Rex couldn't sink any lower, there it was! He had nearly facepalmed when Holiday had told him. And that one nurse had actually been accompanying him! 'White's standards are getting lower by the day... Well, at least that Tess seems strict enough.' Since their talk with her, Rex and Bobo had been unusually sober. He almost smiled to himself. It would be nice to have _someone_ else in the office who had their head on straight.

"Hello!"

Six looked up. The Irish doctor, Monica, was standing there, holding a very large cup of coffee in her hand.

"Mind if I join you?" Monica asked, indicating the seat next to Six.

Six shrugged and pulled the chair out so Monica could sit down.

"Thank you." Monica sat down and took a sip of her coffee. "Well, it was a nice first day here! Everyone here is very nice!"

Six almost laughed but managed to keep a straight face. 'You may think that now...'

"At least everyone I've met." Monica continued. "Then again, I've only met you, Sandra, Bobo, and Rex. But you are all very nice!" She smiled brightly and took another swig of coffee. "And the coffee here is simply marvelous! They even serve little coffee cakes in the morning! Isn't that lovely?"

Six raised an eyebrow at her. At the same time, he felt a slight pang of sadness. This lady wasn't likely to be so chipper after a few days of working here. He kept those thoughts to himself however and nodded his head.

"I haven't seen you around the office today. I assume that you work closely with Rex. How come you weren't around?"

"Other business. Usually I'm only with Rex when he's on a mission or when he breaks out." 'What is with her? She doesn't seem like the type that White would hire...'

"Really? Well, maybe you could stop by and visit every now and then! Rex seems to think a lot of you, judging by what Sandra has told me." She took a slip of her coffee and her eyes glittered. "And she seems to like you a wee bit herself."

'What does that mean?' "I stop by when I'm able." Six murmured.

"Well, I suppose that'll do." Monica shrugged and easily chugged down the rest of her coffee. "I'd better get back to work. It was nice talking to you, Six!" She started to walk away before stopping. "By the way, is Six your first name?"

Six cocked an eyebrow.

"I like to call people by their first names. It makes me feel closer to them."

"People call me Six." Six said curtly.

"Alright then." Monica felt slightly disappointed. 'Ah well. He'll need time I suppose.' "See you later!" She practically skipped out of the room.

Six gaped at Monica's cheerful, retreating figure before casting his eyes down on his own cup of coffee. All of a sudden, he _really_ didn't trust caffeine...

…...

"Is there anything else that needs to be done?" Tess asked as she sorted through the bandages for the third time.

"Not really." Holiday replied, sitting down in one of the chairs. "We really don't have much to do until someone hurts himself."

"I see." Tess walked over and sat down. "So what do you do for fun?" Holiday stared blankly at her. "Oh, come on now! You must be allowed to have fun in this place!"

"Sometimes I listen to the radio...or read..." Holiday ventured, feeling slightly embarrassed at her lack of hobbies.

"Do you like music?" Tess asked, smiling a little.

"Yes."

"Well, that's just perfect! You know, the other day I placed an order in for something special. Let's see if it came in." She walked over to the door. "Well, lookie here!" She bent over and held up a guitar case. "It came in!"

"A guitar?" Holiday blinked in surprise while feeling a slight pang in her chest. "I used to play..." She muttered. "I stopped after the nanite event..."

"Well, why don't you show me what you remember, baby." Tess handed Holiday the guitar case and sat down.

Holiday opened the case and gazed admiringly at the instrument inside. "Wow...This is a good one." She lifted it slowly and put it on her knee. She delicately strummed a few chords before starting to play.

Tess, realizing what song Holiday was playing, began to softly sing. "Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong/ You're enchained by your own sorrow/ In your eyes, and there's no hope for tomorrow..."

Holiday smiled and stopped playing. "You have a beautiful voice, Tess!"

"Thank you, sweetie!" Tess smiled. "Don't stop playing now!" Holiday smiled and obeyed. Tess continued to sing. "How I hate to see you like this/ There is no way you can deny it/ I can see that you're oh so sad, so quiet..." 'How true...' Tess thought secretly to herself, looking at the beautiful, wounded doctor as she strummed away on the guitar. 'How very true...'

**Do you like? I originally planned for Tess to be the one to talk more to Six but then I realized that Holiday is more in need of Tess. Six is more in need of someone who is lighthearted and slightly odd (in a good way of course) like Monica. You know what I mean? Please don't flame me for my failed attempt at Australian lingo...or anything for that matter unless you wanna burn Van Kleiss! It's almost one in the morning so there may be some typos. I'll look back and correct them later. Solora out! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3

**I just can't leave this thing alone! ^_^ As fics go, this one is up there! I'm just bummed that I'm not getting more reviews... Ah well! The ones I'm getting are enough to spur me on! We're gonna go a little more into everyone's characters and set the stage some more. In this chapter, Noah and Andrew get more acquainted while Monica introduces the others to the wonderful world of caffeine! Plus there's a slight sprinkle of Holix Anyway, here we go!**

"R-Rex..." Noah mumbled in his sleep. A pained look crossed his face and he clenched his fists. "Run...Go..." He moaned and turned over. "Dad...Dad...where are you?"

Andrew gazed softly at Noah as he slept. He reached out a soothing hand and rested it on the kid's blonde head. "It's okay, Noah..." He whispered. "Just a dream." The sleeping boy's features began to relax. As he gently brushed back Noah's golden hair, Andrew thought back to that fateful day about a week ago, when he had taken Gabriel Rylander into the arms of his Creator. 'Noah looks a lot like him...' He mused to himself as he stood and quietly left the teen's bedside.

_Tick tock. Tick tock._

Andrew frowned and pulled his golden pocket watch out of his pocket. He looked at it through narrowed eyes, trying to discern what it was saying without turning on a light and rousing Noah. 'Hmmm...still have a few days...Thank God... From what Tess told me, this process might take awhile.' Glancing at the clock in the hallway, the Angel of Death walked downstairs to start making some breakfast.

…...

"Rise and shine!" Gloria said brightly, shaking Rex's shoulder. "Come on, now! It's morning! Time to get up!"

"Mmph..." Rex grumbled and turned over, pulling his blanket over his head.

"Come on, Rex! Wakey, wakey!" She tried to pull the blanket's back from Rex's iron grip.

"Hn...Ten more minutes..." Rex mumbled.

"Six wants you downstairs for briefing, Rex!" Gloria urged, shaking his shoulder again. That was clearly the wrong choice of words. Rex let out a loud groan and pulled the covers even further over his head. "You only have half an hour!"

"Go away..."

'Maybe I should try a new tactic...' "Okay. I'll just go and eat Monica's pizza all by myself."

"Pizza?" Rex sat bolt upright, accidentally slamming his head on the headboard. "Ow..." He moaned, rubbing his head.

"Good! You're awake! Get Bobo up and let's go! Hup-hup!" She skipped out of the room.

'It's gotta be against the law to be so peppy this early...' Rex thought to himself, gaping at Gloria's retreating figure. 'Whatever...' He turned toward Bobo. "Hey, Bobo! Wake up!"

"Grrr..."

"Six is making out with Holiday down the hall!"

In about five seconds, Bobo had jumped out of bed, thrown on clean clothes, and was off running down the hall as if he was being chased by Evo hounds!

…...

Six poked at the brown crust of the item on the plate in front of him cautiously. "_What_ exactly is this, Monica?"

"Just a little something I whipped up!" Monica replied, smiling brightly. "I heard that Rex liked pizza and decided to make him a little treat!"

Tess was staring at the plate. "A treat or a punishment?"

"What kind of pizza is this?" Holiday asked, trying to figure out what was on it. 'Is pizza supposed to be brown all over?'

"Well, I put ground coffee into the crust. The sauce is a blend of whipped cream, caramel, and mocha latte. I sprinkled flakes of java chocolate on top for the cheese. Then I topped it with coffee beans!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "I've been wanting to make a mocha pizza ever since meeting that lovely family with the pizza parlor! Doesn't it look delicious?"

"I can't allow Rex to eat this." Six said immediately.

Monica's face fell. "Why not?" 'I hope he's not allergic to coffee...'

"He's hard enough to deal with as he is. After eating this, I may be forced to tranquilize him."

Holiday rolled her eyes. "You worry too much, Six." Secretly, she agreed but she didn't want to hurt Monica's feelings. She had clearly worked hard on this...mocha pizza... She walked off to get plates. As she did, she turned to Tess. "I take it that Monica likes coffee."

Tess let out a short laugh. "This is nothing. You should have seen what she wanted to eat when we threw her a party!"

"What did you have?"

"Coffee cake, coffee cookies, coffee ice cream, chocolate covered coffee beans, and sprinkled lattes."

"Yikes..." Holiday made a mental note to always send someone else along if Monica ever took Rex to eat anywhere.

"Rex is on his way!" Gloria chirped as she walked into the room. She stopped short as she approached the table. "I thought we were having pizza..."

At that moment, Bobo came running into the room. He had an eager look on his face. As he entered, however, his face fell and he shook his head. "Fell for it again...I'm gonna kill him..."

"Fell for what again?" Gloria tilted her head.

Bobo glanced warily at Six. "Nothing..." He sat down at the table. "What's for breakfast?"

"Mocha pizza!" Monica replied.

"Sweet!" Bobo cut himself a slice and immediately started eating. "Hey Chief!" He called over his shoulder as Rex walked in. "We got coffee-chocolate pizza! Dig in!"

"Awesome!" Rex started devouring a large slice of the caffeine-spiked pizza.

'I'm doomed...' Six thought to himself before breathing a sigh of defeat. 'Ah well..." He cut himself a tiny slice of pizza and started nibbling on it. It was surprisingly good.

Monica gave Tess a coy, "I told you so" smile as she cut herself a slice.

"Don't get so cocky, Miss. Wings..." Tess muttered, munching on her own slice. "You're in charge of cleanup duty when this boy goes on caffeine high."

…...

Noah's eyes were nearly popping out of his head as he stared around him. The living room, dining room, kitchen...everything was completely clean and spotless! Even better, he could smell the enticing scent of bacon. "Andrew?"

"Morning!" Andrew flashed a grin at Noah as he walked into the kitchen. "Finally woke up, did you? Help yourself to some bacon. What do you like on your omelette?"

"Uh...whatever we have..." Noah looked at the shopping bags. "When did you do all this?" He waved a hand in a general gesture before walking over to the counter and grabbing a strip of bacon.

"Last night. I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd tidy up a bit and get some non-bologna food for breakfast." He sprinkled some mozzarella cheese onto the omelette he was making. "There's milk and orange juice in the fridge."

Noah cringed. "I'll have milk. I don't think I ever want to drink orange juice again!"

Andrew chuckled as he put the omelette onto a plate. "I don't blame you." He started cracking some more eggs. "So what are your plans for the day?"

"Well...I was going to see if Rex could hang out. I mean, if that's okay." Noah muttered through a mouthful of bacon. He glanced hopefully at the mozzarella omelette.

"Eat it before it gets cold." Andrew smiled as he pulled out the whisk. "And I think some hang out time with Rex could be arranged."

"Sweet! Thanks!" Noah beamed as he started chugging a glass of milk.

"Why don't you go sit in the dining room? I'll bring in another omelette and some more bacon."

"Kay!" Noah picked up his plate and went back into the dining room. "Whoa!" He stared at the large, blue, dove-patterned vase. A bunch of white flowers were sitting in water. "Didn't know I had this."

"You didn't. I bought it to add a bit of color. What do you think?" Andrew placed a huge plate of bacon on the table along with two more omelettes.

Noah shook his head slowly and stared at Andrew with an expression of total bemusement. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're _not_ someone I'd ever expect to be working for Providence!"

Andrew's eyes glinted. "I like to do things my own way."

…...

Six glanced at the clock. "Time for briefing." He stood and walked toward the door, glancing over his shoulder. "Rex. Holiday. Bobo."

"Yeah, yeah. Comin', green bean..." Bobo rolled his eyes as he walked past Six.

"Sweet! Let's go! I'm ready to take down some Evos! WHOO!" Rex shot out of his chair and bolted out the door.

Six turned and glared at Monica, who just smiled angelically **(Har har!)** and waved a hand innocently. 'I'll kill her later...' He thought to himself, before turning and walking out the door. Holiday ran up next to him.

"I guess you were right about the tranquilizers." She muttered, looking down the hall where Rex had disappeared. "Standard patrol today?"

"Probably." Six shrugged a shoulder. Something caught his eye. "You have whipped cream on your face."

Holiday's face flushed. "Where?" She put her hand to her cheek. 'Oh, lovely. _Real_ professional...'

"Here." Six stopped walking and wiped the spot of whipped cream from the corner of Holiday's mouth. Her olive-green eyes widened with shock. Her skin felt really warm... Six allowed his hand to linger a little longer than necessary before retracting and continuing toward the briefing room, trying to ignore the warmth in his own cheeks. 'Get your head on straight, Six! Don't start acting like a lovestruck schoolboy!'

Holiday forced her stunned expression into submission and quickly resumed her pace, her heart pounding like crazy in her chest. 'Did he really...' She shook her head to clear it. 'Calm down, Holiday... Just go to briefing and forget about it. Don't get your hopes up!'

Gloria appeared unseen next to where Six and Holiday had just been. "I don't get it. He was just getting a little whipped cream off of her face. Why does she look so surprised?"

Tess appeared next to her. "Because, baby, Six is one of those people that don't show any sign of emotion to anyone. Therefore, even the smallest sign that he cares is monumental. Especially to Sandra."

"How come?"

"Because she loves him." Monica explained as she joined her friends. "She's been in love with him for five years now."

"Five years?" Gloria's eyes grew wide. "And they aren't married yet?"

"You see, Gloria, humans have a way of taking forever to show even the simplest and purest of emotions." Tess said, her eye on the room that Six, Holiday, Rex, and Bobo had entered. "Sandra has seen a lot of pain in her life, as has Six. That makes showing emotions harder. Now, Sandra is starting to break out of her shell and realize her feelings. Six, on the other hand, is going to need some extra help." She gave Monica a significant glance.

"Why would he need help? I don't understand. Sandra is such a lovely person." Monica thought back to when Holiday had played the guitar the other day.

"Six has lost more than anyone else in this building, Miss. Wings. He believes that becoming attached to anything or anyone else means giving himself more ways to get hurt. However, like it or not, he loves Sandra just as much as she loves him. He loves Rex too. And Bobo. Now, he just needs the courage to show it."

"And that's where I come in?"

"Bingo."

At that moment, Rex shot past them and toward the air ship area. Six and Bobo were following behind him. Holiday was moving toward the office.

"Back to work!" Tess shrugged. "Now you're about to see what the main problem with these people is."

**It's kinda short compared to the other two. It'll speed up soon. Don't worry. Please gimme a lot of reviews! But no flames! Flames are for burning Van Kleiss! See ya'll later!**


	4. Chapter 4

***sigh* I bring sad tidings to my readers. The world has lost a man who will always be missed. Heaven has taken a truly joyful soul to its gates. God has brought one of his most devoted and well-loved children home. Everyone's favorite angel of death has been taken by the real angel of death... On Monday, January 10th 2011, John Dye, also known as Andrew, died of a heart attack. He was forty seven years old... As soon as I found out, I knew that I had to make the best chapter I could for this fic. This chapter is dedicated to John Dye. I hope that the angel that took him home was every bit as awesome as he always was...**

Andrew chewed thoughtfully on one of the chocolate chip cookies he had made earlier that day. In his hand was an assortment of photographs. While cleaning the house after Noah left to hang out with Rex, he had found a huge box of photos. They all varied in quality and clarity. They were all similar in that they had obviously been taken after dark, using a flash camera. They also had similar scenes. Almost every picture was of a tree or large bush. What was odd about them was the fact that nothing was really in focus. It was almost as if the person taking the pictures was trying to capture something that wasn't there.

He heard the door open and close in the other room. Noah was finally home. 'It's past eleven...teens these days...' "Where've you been?" He asked as the blond walked in.

"Eh, just hanging." Noah replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Is Rex injured in any way? You mentioned that he had to fight a bunch of Evo rats this morning."

"Oh, he's fine." Noah waved a dismissive hand. "He does this kinda stuff all the time. It's no big." His eyes fell on what Andrew was looking at and his face seemed to pale. "Where'd you get those?"

"I was doing some cleaning and came across them." Andrew replied, hurrying to put them back into the box. Something in Noah's voice told him that he shouldn't have peeked. He was right.

"So you just took them and decided to start going through them?" Noah snapped. 'Chill, man...he didn't know...' He paused to take a deep breath before continuing in a calmer voice. "Look...I know that White hired you to keep an eye on me...but I _really_ don't want you going through my stuff...kay?" He quickly pulled the blurred photos toward himself and started sorting them into the box, fuming quietly.

Andrew watched him silently for a few minutes before walking away without a word.

Noah felt a flash of guilt at his outburst, but didn't move from his spot. He had to get those pictures put away...

…...

Noah's eyes darted to the left and right. The dark streets were deserted. 'Of course they are...' He thought to himself. 'It's not like we're in New York City. People are gonna be asleep at two in the morning.' He turned a corner and felt a smile come to his face at the sight of the familiar scene of the starlit park.

…...

"_What did you want to show me, Daddy?" Noah yawned, stretching his arms out as he walked alongside his father on the sidewalk. "It's still dark out..."_

"_I know, son." Gabriel ruffled his son's messy yellow hair. "I just thought you'd want to see this. Do you have your camera?"_

"_Got it!" Noah held up his most recent birthday present, which hung faithfully around his neck. "But what is there to take a picture of?"_

"_You'll see. I saw it the other night when I was out walking. Hopefully, it's still there..."_

"_What is it?"_

"_You'll see." Gabriel muttered, putting a hand on Noah's shoulder and steering him toward the park. "Let's see...it was over this way..." He paused, trying to remember something, before turning to the left and walking. Noah followed at his heels, gray eyes wide and confused._

"_I don't get why you brought me here at night, Daddy. I mean, wouldn't it be easier if-Oof!" He cut off as his father suddenly put out an arm to stop him. "Ow! Dad, that-"_

"_Sh!"_

_The abruptness of the shush was enough to make Noah stop. 'What's going on?' He then realized that his father was pointing at something. Following Gabriel's direction, Noah stifled a gasp. Perched on a tree, not even five feet away from them, was a Great Horned Owl. This close, even in the dim light, Noah could see the tawny, rust, white, and black feathers that merged together on the bird's being. Those eyes were such a shade of yellow, Noah was stunned that the brilliant color even existed. Around the creature's eyes were circles of copper and its tufts were like a crown. "Wow..." Noah breathed._

_Gabriel nodded his head, his eyes glittering, his lips turned up in an awed smile. "Take a picture, Noah." He whispered. The owl turned its head toward Gabriel as he spoke, but didn't fly away._

_Slowly, ever so slowly, Noah raised his camera and snapped a picture. The flash sent a bright light everywhere. When it faded, the owl was gone._

_When the picture was developed, Noah was disappointed to see that the owl had evaded being captured on film._

"_Don't worry, son." Gabriel gave Noah a pat on the back. "We'll get it next time..."_

…_..._

"Alright, birdy..." Noah murmured, looking at the tree branches above him. "I'm gonna get you this time..." His fingers drummed thoughtfully on the small black camera that hung around his neck. "I'm gonna get you..."

Every time he came to the park, the owl was in a different place. That was the only thing that changed about it. Its eyes were still that striking amber. Its multicolored feathers made a kaleidoscope of pigments on its chest. Its beak was always sharp and black and its tufts made it seem like a lord of birds.

The softest of sounds whooshed past Noah's ear and he turned abruptly. There it was! It had flown almost unnoticed past his ear and into a nearby tree. The branch was low, so Noah was practically eye-level with it. "There you are..." Noah grinned as he slowly lifted up his camera. 'I got it this time, Dad!' His heart was pounding. The owl wasn't moving a muscle! This would be it...

"Well, well, well..." A loud, oily voice drawled. "Look what we've got here!"

The owl took off into the night. Cursing to himself, Noah slowly turned around. 'This can't be good...' Standing a few feet away from him was a group of five boys. Five very...big boys...and one of them had a golf club... 'Maybe I can just talk my way out of this...' "Hey, guys. What's up?"

The leader, the guy with the gold club, sauntered over. A stupid grin was on his face. "Nice camera, blondie." He sneered as he drew closer.

'Yep. A bunch of thugs. That's what I got here. Just a bunch of stupid thugs.' Noah clutched his camera protectively as the head thug walked closer. "Thanks." He said curtly.

"Why don't you let me see it?" He was holding the club over his shoulder, like how a hunter would hold a rifle.

Noah took a step back. "I'd...rather you didn't..." He took another step back. 'I just need to get out of the trees so I can make a break for it...'

The thug scowled. "Not being too friendly, are we?"

A pair of strong hands grabbed Noah's shoulders from behind. He stiffened. 'Oh no...reinforcements...' "Look, I don't want any trouble..." He let out a yelp as the hands tightened painfully on his shoulder. "I just-"

He was cut off at the sound of a bloodcurdling shriek behind him. The hands that were grasping his shoulders let go immediately and he shot forward. When he turned around, he saw blood leaking down the face of his captor, who was holding his forehead tightly and whimpering. The rest of the guy's gang stood where they were, completely stunned. Then, the leader shot toward Noah.

He heard a curse, the whoosh of something being swung, the dull thud of it hitting something.

Smack!

Black dots obscured his vision. He could see a shadowy figure running toward him. He could hear a voice...a voice calling his name...

…...

Andrew sat next to Noah's bed, his hand methodically stroking the kid's golden locks. He had wrapped a bandage around his head. He hadn't gotten there soon enough to prevent the leader from hitting Noah with that club... But he had been able to stop the gang from doing worse. It was amazing how fast a group of kids would run when facing an angry angel of death...

'Poor kids...' He thought to himself. 'What kind of home life could they have if they're doing such awful things...' He longed to investigate the matter further, but knew that he couldn't. There were other angels to handle such matters. His only concern was Noah.

"Ugh..." Noah turned his head to the side, toward Andrew. His stormy eyes fluttered open. "Wh-Where...Huh...?"

"Shh..." Andrew continued to lightly touch Noah's head, like how a father would do to comfort a young child. "You're alright, Noah. Don't worry."

Noah stared dully at Andrew for a few minutes. Then, everything that had happened came back to him and he sat bolt upright. "My camera! Did they-OW!" A sharp pain shot through his body from his head. He fell back on his pillow with a plop.

"Don't try to move so quickly." Andrew said sternly. "And your camera is fine. More importantly, _you_ are fine."

Noah breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness..." He blinked a few times as he tried to recall what happened. "You...saved me...didn't you?"

Andrew nodded his head. "Yeah. I got there just as that kid was knocking you out cold. I only wish I had gotten there sooner."

"No, man." Noah mumbled, feeling the pain slowly ebbing away. "You saved my life. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Noah paused for a moment before speaking again. "Look...about earlier...I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Andrew smiled and sat up straight. "I understand that those pictures were personal."

"They were..." Noah sighed. "I took them...with my dad...and then by myself..."

"Why are they so blurry? Have you been practicing your photo-taking skills?"

"No...No, I'm pretty good at taking pictures by this point." Noah closed his eyes. "When I was little, Dad took me to the park at night. There was a beautiful Great Horned Owl there. I tried to take a picture of it with the camera Dad gave me, but it flew away before I could get it. Ever since then, he'd take me back every week on Friday to try and capture the thing on film. Then...when...we got separated, I started going by myself." He opened his eyes and stared mournfully at the ceiling. "I was so close this time..."

"Ah, that reminds me..." Andrew stood up. "We have a temporary guest in the house, Noah."

"Guest?" Noah sat up slowly. "What do you mean?"

"Follow me."

Noah followed him into the kitchen, where there was a large cardboard box on the ground. Its top had a bunch of holes cut in it. He let out a start of surprise when Andrew took the top off. On a bed of towels, standing perfectly stiff and still, was the owl. Its yellow eyes were looking dully up at Andrew and Noah. "What happened...?"

"Your friend attacked one of those boys." Andrew reached in to cautiously stroke the bird's feathers. "And he got hit with that golf club."

"Oh..." Noah stared at the creature that had been his self-made connection to his father for the past few years. 'It was trying to protect me...' If he was superstitious, he would have thought that maybe his father's spirit had had something to do with this. But he wasn't, so he didn't. "Thank you..." He reached in to touch the bird's feathers. They were very soft... The owl didn't flinch or move away. It just continued to look blankly ahead. "How badly was it damaged?"

"_He_ will be fine within a few days. Nothing's broken. He's just in a state of shock."

"I see..." Noah continued to lightly run his finger through those multicolored feathers. "Don't worry, buddy." He whispered to the owl. "We'll take good care of you." The owl turned to look at Noah, his yellow eyes carrying the slightest of glimmers.

"You know..." Andrew said, opening the fridge to get some raw meat. "This fine owl ought to have a name. What do you think?"

"I think you're right." He took a step back as Andrew knelt down to feed the owl some bits of meat. He watched as the bird halfheartedly gulped down his dinner. "I'll call him Gabe."

"Gabe..." Andrew nodded his head. "That's a good name." He looked at Noah. The kid had a faraway look on his face. Andrew was almost positive that he was thinking of his father. "A very good name..."

**I don't cry very easily, but I certainly shed a few tears after I read the news... I hope you'll all say a prayer for John when you go to bed tonight. I definitely will... Rest in peace, John Dye. You will always be remembered by your fans, family, and friends as a truly extraordinary person. You turned death into a symbol of hope and new life through your portrayal of Andrew. You made an already-beautiful series even better with your kindness, grace, and presence. You are now with your fellow angels in Paradise. I wish you every happiness for the rest of eternity. God bless. Amen...**


End file.
